Dr David Theile was Queensland's first individual Olympic gold medallist and the state's only dual Olympic gold medallist from 1960 until 1996, when fellow swimmer Keiran Perkins won his second gold.

Dr Theile won gold medals for the 100-metre backstroke event at the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956 and the Rome Olympics in 1960, when he also won silver as a member of Australia's first 4x100-metre medley relay team.

He graduated with honours in medicine in 1962. The University named the David Theile Pool after him and awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2001.